Trapped In Snow
by o0RainbowParadise0o
Summary: Near has disappeared from the orphanage. There's a blizzard going on outside. Where could Near be? Mello makes a promise to the most annoying girl he knows, saying he'll find Near, the last person Mello ever wants to be around...Mello x Near! Mello's POV


**A/N:** I love the pairing Mello x Near, so I decided to do a one-shot of them. This takes place back when Mello and Near are still at Wammy's House. Mello is thirteen, Near is eleven, and Matt is twelve in this story.

**Warning:** This story contains spoilers to Mello and Near's real names. This is rated teen for Mello's bad mouth. You've been warned.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own any of the Death Note characters.

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(Mello's POV)

Like the rest of my body, my head leaned back to rest up against the far wall of my bedroom. Held comfortably in my hands was a dark chocolate bar that was already half-eaten. A deep frown rested on my face, remembering back to this morning. The thought burned in my mind. It almost caused me to crush the delicious chocolate that was in my hands. Almost. I wasn't quite driven to the point to destroy the one thing that calms my nerves down. I took another bite of the bar as I began to recall what happened.

I was standing in the hallway, facing a long piece of paper that hung in between two classroom doors. It was the test results on a test that I had taken four days ago. My heart was fluttering anxiously, eager to see the results of the test. Although the sheet of paper was long, I already knew the general location of my name. I was the second top student in Wammy's House.

A bit of anger rumbled through my insides as I remembered that truth. _Second....Second to...._I froze, seeing the test results. The paper seemed to mock me, silently laughing at my existence. My name, Miheal Keehl, rested right below the name Nate River. Near had received a perfect score on the test. I...had missed perfection by one point. My eyes narrowed with anger. _Near...._

Near was number one in Wammy's Orphanage For Gifted Children. He and I were complete opposites. My instinctual actions were controlled by my emotions. I remember that Near once called me careless for letting my emotions get the better of me. Well, he didn't say the word 'careless', but he sure did hint it! I would never admit it aloud, but I did always let my emotions get the better of me. I always ran on impulse. It doesn't bother me that I like this, but it makes my blood boil to hear Near directly criticize me!

That albino boy wasn't anything like me. He never ran on emotions. I doubt he had any feelings at all! He always thought logically and always thought things through compared to where I didn't always consider the consequences of my actions. Near was always distant, direct, and logical. No one else seemed to notice it, but I could see how he liked to dig under my skin. He liked to see my blood boil until steam came off of me. That albino robot thinks he can control me, but he can't! _Near, you don't know _everything_!_

Coming back out of my memory, my eyes narrowed into cold stones of blue. I took another bite of the chocolate bar in a vain attempt to calm myself. _That Near!_ I thought bitterly. _He doesn't even try and yet he still beats me every time!_

Feeling anger beginning to irrupt through my insides again, I angrily kicked an empty, soft-drink can that was lying on the carpet. The can flew through the air and roughly collided with the wall opposite from me. The now bent can fell limply to the ground. I glared at the can for a moment. The can that lied there, empty and broken....My free hand tightened into a fist. A part of me wished that was Near lying there instead of the can. A part of me wanted to see Near empty and broken.

"Damn you, Near." I hissed under my breath.

My clenched fist began to shake. Still watching the can that rested there, my eyes narrowed. _I want to see _you_ empty and broken._

A flashback of later that morning rippled through my mind, against my will. It was after I had saw the test results. I was now stomping my way down the hallway, quickly passing the Common Room. I had a feeling Near was in there doing his puzzles. He usually stayed inside, away from everyone else. I did _not_ want to come in contact with him at that moment.

I exited Wammy's Orphanage, heading outside. I had hoped that getting some fresh air would ease my anger, but the sun's rays only seemed to aid the boiling of my blood. Just because life loved to be cruel, I had eaten my last chocolate bar yesterday evening and had yet to get another one.

I stomped roughly through the field of Wammy's property, not really sure as to where I was going. Some boys were playing soccer not too far off, and a few girls were hanging about, gossiping to one another like girls usually did. I stopped dead in my tracks when someone called out to me.

"Hey, Mello! I saw the test scores!"

I turned around to see a boy, about a year younger than myself, standing not too far away. There was another guy with him, but he'd been a Wammy's House for awhile now. I noted a smirk that was on the new boy's face. My eyes narrowed lightly. _What's up with this kid?_ It appeared that the boy had something planned for me, and from the looks of it, the older boy didn't seem all thrilled with the new boy's plan.

"Looks like Near beat you _again_!"

My body froze. My eyes widened from the blow. I felt my insides beginning to burn. _What did he say?!_ I was in a bit of shock, not expecting anyone to say that to my face. Everyone in Wammy's Orphanage knew better than to mess with me. Everyone _feared_ me, and if they didn't, they soon would.

The new boy wasn't satisfied there. He continued shouting, "How many hours were you up studying? I heard that Near didn't study at all, and he still _beat_ you!"

As a laugh rippled through the boy, I felt my face flush with fury. My eyes narrowed sharply. My icy eyes glared fiercely at the boy. I felt my body heat up, my insides beginning to boil. My hands clenched into tight, shaky fists. I concentrated on the new boy too intensely to see that the other children who had been outside were now watching the scene play out.

I stomped over to the guy, my intense glare never faltering. I spitefully snarled, "I _dare_ you to say that again!"

The boy, still not believing that I'd do anything, cupped his hands around his mouth. "I heard that Near--."

I didn't allow the boy to finish his sentence. I pulled one of my fists back and hammered the side of the boy's face, sending him flying into the dirt below. Not only was his remarks fueling the fire of my rage, but just hearing the name of my rival made me want to scream out with ferocity.

I didn't give the boy time to recover from the blow and stand back up on his feet. No. I didn't give him that luxury. I didn't care if he was new or not; he was going to learn that _no one_ messed with me and got away with it! _No one! _ Not even Near!

I pounced on him and began to beat him upside the head repeatedly. My face grew red with anger as I clobbered the boy's face until it bled. He suddenly elbowed me in the ribcage, making me flinch, pausing my punches. He punched me once on the left side of my face, making my head jerk to the right. I felt something being pulled around my neck, choking me temporarily. Suddenly, the choking feeling stopped, and I was able to quickly regain my breathing.

I was able to punch him a few more times before Roger and a few other teachers came and split us apart. We were instantly sent to Roger's office. Unfortunately, I was given a more harsher punishment because I had been in Wammy's House longer than the new boy. _Damn punk...._

The memory faded away completely from my thoughts. I looked down at the empty, silver wrapper in my hands. I was grateful that Matt had given it to me to help calm me down, but it was hardly enough. I crumpled up the silver, chocolate wrapper and tossed it into the trash bin that was lying against my nightstand.

My eyes trailed from the trash bin up to the window. The curtains were pulled open, exposing the outside to me. The sun had set not too long ago, but it was now hard to tell that it was night. Snow had quickly began to fall after I had the fight with the new boy. Now, the wind and snow had picked up. _Looks like a blizzard might be rolling in._

I hated snow. I hated the coldness of it. I liked fire much better. Fire was more dangerous than snow. Fire was unpredictable, wild, and sometimes even uncontrollable. It burned with fury, with a fiery passion, destroying everything in its way.

The light from the brewing blizzard reflected off of my icy blue eyes as I stared blankly out the window, trying to drown out all thoughts of Near out of my head. To say the least, it wasn't an easy process.

A knock sounded through the room. I turned my head to see my bedroom door opening.I glanced over at the digital clock that rested on my nightstand. It read: 7:49. Everyone was suppose to be in their rooms by eight sharp.

As I had guessed, Matt entered the room. I frowned, seeing that Matt had an uneasy, sheepish smile on his face as soon as he saw me.

"Hey, Mel." Matt greeted friendly.

"Hey...." I greeted absently, my mind still cluttered with other things. Still leaning against the wall, I glanced back through the window. "Thank you again for the chocolate." I thanked in a quiet voice.

I had a feeling that Matt had something important he wanted to talk about. Matt didn't usually come to see me so late unless he had something on his mind. He'd come right after dinner, around the time of six-thirty.

As expected, Matt asked nervously, "Umm...Mello? I was wondering...."

I turned my attention back over to him. "Yeah?"

"Umm....Did you do anything to Near?"

My eyes narrowed. _There's that name again. Near follows me like a disease I cannot get rid of. No matter where I seem to go....A disease plaguing my mind until I slowly loose my sanity...._Matt gave me a sheepish smile after seeing my reaction.

"No. I don't want to be anywhere close to that freak." I stated firmly. "Why do you ask?"

Matt looked away from my gaze, obviously afraid that his next words would anger me further. "Well, it's just that the...um, test results...and that fight earlier...." Matt sighed and finally got out, "Near went missing a bit after your fight, and I thought that maybe you had something to do with it."

I lifted an eyebrow. _Near's missing? That's not like him to disappear suddenly._

I shrugged slightly. "No, I didn't have anything to do with it." I clarified.

Matt nodded slowly. "Oh, okay."

Matt brought his gaze back over to me. His green eyes stared at me for a moment. In slight confusion, he narrowed his eyes a bit. I lifted an eyebrow at him. _What's he staring at?_

"Mel, did you get a haircut?"

I blinked at him in disbelief. _What the hell?_ "Did you see me leave the orphanage at all? Besides, it's Wednesday, not Saturday. We're not allowed off campus on weekdays." I explained to him, starting to think he'd gone delusional.

Matt flashed me another sheepish smile. "Haha. Sorry, Mello. It's just that you look different today."

"Different?"

His green eyes looked me up and down and he shook his head slowly. "It just seems like there's something missing."

"I'm not eating any chocolate." I reminded him.

He shrugged. "Maybe that's why I think something is off."

_You and me both. I'm in dire need of some chocolate right about now._ I let out a short sigh and looked out the window. The wind seemed to be kicking up now.

"Well, see ya, Mel." Matt turned and walked back to my bedroom door. Before shutting the door behind him, he called over his shoulder, "G'night, Mello."

The door clicked shut behind him, and I was left to my thoughts once more. I could hear the wind whistling outside. I turned my head to stare out of the window. My mind swirled with thoughts of Near again. _So he's missing? That's odd of him to do something as of that. I'm usually the one who turns up missing._

Blankly staring out at the snow, I felt something inside me turn over slowly. Slowly the uneasy feeling flipped inside of me. The feeling unnerved me and made a shiver run down my spine. I didn't understand what it was. I couldn't seem to pinpoint it. My eyes narrowed sharply. _Damn you, Near. I only get this way when I think about you. It's always you that confuse me. It's always _you_ that makes me this way. It's _you _that makes me loose it....I hate you._

I couldn't seem to get Near out of my head. My thoughts seemed to revolve around the albino boy. _Why? How?_ I questioned. _How do you have this control over me?_ I found myself asking the snow. _How...?_

The albino, a blizzard itself. A blizzard whipping around me in a continuous circle, never stopping. The blizzard was suffocating me, trapping me. Snow being unable to put out a fire, the flame flickered wildly, unable to move out of the circle. My eyes narrowed. _No. Blizzards don't last. Soon they'll die down to just snow. Fire melts snow. Near cannot trap my mind!_

I shivered. Just thinking of snow and blizzards made the room colder. I walked over to my bedside and grabbed my maroon coat that was resting over the frame at the end of the bed. The coat was a dark maroon color with dark cream fur-lining around the hood part of it. I slipped the coat on, feeling a bit more relaxed by the warmth.

I moved from the wall to the window. I inhaled deep breaths, trying to completely smooth out my irritation. I continued to stare out the window. My eyes narrowed at the snow, glaring at the cold night. After a few moments of silence, my mind seemed to calm. Then, Matt's words echoed through my head. _'Near went missing...'._

I glanced over to look at the clock. It was just about to be eight o' clock, curfew. I didn't mind going out past curfew. I sneak out a ton, usually to go steal chocolate from the kitchen. I get caught about one out of ten times, which has improved over the years. I knew where to hide and avoid the teachers who roamed the halls making sure everyone stayed in their rooms. Although I didn't mind sneaking out, it wasn't like Near to do so. He'd never do anything that might get him in trouble.

"Where is that albino?" I found myself wondering aloud.

The feeling came back again, twisting my insides a bit, testing my patience. It crawled up from my stomach, came up to my heart, making it shiver a bit, and slunk into my mind, eating away at my sanity. I grumbled.I turned from the window and went over to my bedroom door. _It's just curiosity...._I told myself. _No. I just want to see Near get caught by the teachers. I just want to see his face when he gets in trouble._

I flicked off my light and slowly opened the door to step out into the dark hallway. I closed the door behind me and gazed around the hallway, listening for any nearby teachers. After not hearing anyone, I guessed that they were downstairs or in a different hallway.

I slowly crept from my room to the stairs. I slowly began to step down the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing, not wanting to slip down a few steps and alarm the teachers on night duty. Slowly inching my way to the bottom of the stairs, I wondered where to look for the white-haired boy. _I'll look in the Common Room first. _I decided. _He's in there the most. I might find out something there._

Finally making it to the bottom of the stairs, I crept across the tile floor, making my way down the hall to the Common Room. I heard the sound of footsteps, but they sound like they were a hallway away, so I didn't worry about it too much.

I slowly pushed open one door that led into the large Common Room. I entered the room slowly. There were several, large windows in the Common Room, so the room wasn't completely covered with shadows. I could see that there was someone by the window, staring out at it. I could tell they didn't notice that I had entered the room. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the figure.

I guessed that the individual was a girl since her hair was up in two pigtails. I walked forward, approaching the girl. I frowned, finally recognizing the person. _Oh great. It's that annoying girl._ "Linda?" I called out her name quietly. "What are you doing here?"

The girl gasped and quickly turned around to face me. Her brown eyes were wide, shocked by my approach. She caught her breath and her shock died down. Suddenly her eyes narrowed. She snapped at me, "It's all your fault! I know you did something to him, Mello!"

My eyes widened, a bit taken back by Linda's sudden assumptions. I turned my head and peered over to the closed door of the Common Room, hoping that none of the teacher's heard Linda's out burst. I turned back towards the girl, annoyed that she wanted to accuse me for who knows what.

"Hush!" I warned her. "Do you wanna get caught?"

Linda didn't reply. She only glared up at me with angry, brown eyes. _What's her problem?_

When she didn't reply, I asked, "Now, what are you accusing me of?"

"I know you did something to him, Mello!" Linda accused angrily, but her voice was quieter so that none of the teachers could hear her. "I know you had something to do with Near's disappearance. He said he'd be back, and do you see him? No! What did you do to him?!"

"Hush!" I warned again. _God she gets on my nerves._ "I didn't do anything to Near, Linda. What do you mean he said 'he'd be back'? Where did he go?"

Linda continued to glare at me, obviously not convinced that I didn't do anything to the albino. "No!" She gasped. "You're planning on hurting him, aren't you?!"

I growled in thought. _This girl is so damn stubborn._ "Linda, I'm not going to do anything to hurt him. Just tell me what he said."

Linda shifted her weight. She looked like she was debating on whether or not she was going to tell me about Near. She pressed her hands together, her fingertips pressing up against one another. It seemed to be a habit she had.

The girl turned to gaze out of the window. A hurtful look crossed her face. She sniffled once and shook her head slowly. For a moment, I thought she was about to cry.

"He said there was something he needed to do." Linda mentioned absently. "He said he'd be right back. He told me that he wouldn't be outside for too long, but...he hasn't come back yet."

I turned my attention to the window. My blue eyes peered out at the snow. In the quietness of the room, I could hear the wind beat up against the glass. _Near is out there?_ My stomach began to pain me again.

"Mello, could you please go find Near?" Linda asked suddenly.

My attention jerked back over to the girl with pigtails. I opened my mouth to object, but Linda quickly pleaded, "Please, Mello! Near's out there, and I-I....You have to Mello. You have to!"

I realized that she was only asking me because she was too afraid to go out in the storm. Even if she didn't trust me with Near, she trusted me a lot more with Near than the blizzard. I gazed out of the window once more, staring at the blowing snow.

Linda desperately pleaded. "Please, Mello. Near could be hurt or w-worse!"

I turned my attention back over to her. The whites of her eyes were now a pinkish-red. Tears were streaming down from her brown eyes, down her cheeks, and dripping off of her chin. I shifted my weight, feeling uneasy now that Linda was in tears. _I know she cares about Near, but she doesn't have to start bawling on me...._

I looked down at the tile floor and then back up to Linda. I sighed and told her quietly, "Fine. I'll do it."

Linda sniffled and reached up with her left hand to wipe the fallen tears away. "What?" She asked in a broken voice.

I grumbled, "I said I'll go out there to find Near."

Linda's eyes brightened. A content smile spread on her face. She sniffled again asked weakly, "P-Promise?"

I stared into Linda's watery eyes. Her brown eyes searched mine. I wondered if she was debating on whether or not she could trust me, even if I did agree to the terms. _I already told her I'd find him...._I thought to myself. Half of me didn't want to go into the storm to find the last person on earth I wanted to look for. No. More than half of me didn't want to go out into the storm, but...there was a part of me that was urging me to leave the orphanage and go into the snow. _It's just that I want to get out of this place....It's too...stuffy in here._ I tried to convince myself. I let out a deep sigh as my decision finally settled inside of me.

"I promise."

Linda's eyes narrowed lightly, a frown on her face. "You won't hurt him, will you?"

I shook my head and held back the urge to roll my eyes. "No, I'm not going to hurt him."

"Do you pr--?" I interrupted her sharply, "I already said I wouldn't, all right?!"

The watery-eyed girl nodded slowly. A small smile creeping slowly back onto her face. A few more tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you." She thanked with gratitude.

I turned away, now facing the Common Room doors. "Yeah, whatever...." I grumbled under my breath. _Well, I'm already wearing a coat. Looks like I don't have to head back upstairs._

I wasn't one-hundred percent sure why I had made that promise to Linda. I pretty much locked myself into the situation to find someone I really didn't want to come in contact with. When I made a promise, I kept it. I never broke promises, and because of that rule I made, I tried to avoid making them. I didn't like feeling trapped into doing something. Like the rest of the promises, I wasn't going to break this one, no matter how much I disliked it. I wouldn't break the promise, even though it was a promise made to the most annoying girl I know about finding a person I hated. Not even that would force me to break my own rule.

I shoved my hands into my coat pocket. I began to walk towards the door. I had a good feeling that Linda wasn't going to stay in the room for long now that I had offered to go look for Near. Linda also didn't seem like the type of person to stay up past curfew. A goody-goody-two-shoes one might say, even if she did spread a lot of rumors and gossip a ton.

I creaked open the Common Room door. I listened for a moment. I heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. I slowly began to close the door a bit more so it appeared closed to the teachers. I heard the footsteps come closer and closer until they were nearly right in front of the Common Room. There was moment of silence as the teacher paused in front of the door. I held my breath, hoping they didn't see or hear me.

Luckily for me, the teacher walked away from the door and continued down the hall. I took in a deep breath and stepped out of the Common Room and into the hallway. I cautiously walked down the hallway, making my way towards the door to exit the Orphanage. As I got to the back door, I shook my head slowly. _I cannot believe I agreed to do this...._

I opened the door and instantly, a strong gust of wind hit me. A cold feeling shot through my insides, forcing a shiver through my body. _It's winder than I thought._ I quickly stepped outside and closed the door, not wanting the teachers to hear that I had exited the building.

I squinted my blue eyes. I knew there was a small forest in the back of Wammy's Orphanage, but I couldn't see even the outlining of the trees from the back door. Life hated me.

I zipped up my coat further and stuffed my hands into the pockets as I began to push myself against the wind. My shoes seemed to get eaten by the snow. The snow as already deep and growing deeper. I lifted my head up, squinting my eyes. _Great....I'm looking for an _albino_ in a _blizzard_! How am I suppose to find Near in this?!_

Cursing my luck, I continued through the snow. I shivered as the wind grazed my exposed face and neck. "Stupid wind chill...." I grumbled bitterly.

I suddenly stopped. My mind had finally put a few pieces together, coming up with something I didn't think about. _Wait....I saw Near in the Common Room as Roger was leading me and new guy to his office. It started snowing just after the fight I had. I remember feeling a few snowflakes during the fight. If Near left the orphanage after I had that fight...that means he went out while it was snowing!_

_He probably left not too long after dinner because if he had left any earlier than that, Matt would have told me. I talked to Matt a bit in the hallway before going off on my own after dinner. Then he must have took notice that Near was missing and then came to talk to me in my room. Linda was also in the Common Room still, even after hours. She was probably waiting for Near to get back, thinking that he wasn't going to take very long. After too long, Linda would get worried, and I don't believe a worried Linda would suddenly leave the room. She probably never left the window side...._

Curiosity sparked inside of me. _What would provoke Near to go out in a storm?_ A picture of the pajama-wearing boy walking out in a storm with only socks on flashed through my mind.

Something else tugged at my insides, tugged at my heart. It was something more than curiosity. It was not an emotion I was familiar with. It wasn't anger. It was neither sorrow nor excitement. Anxiety? Continuing through the snow, I concentrated on the emotion. Anxiety....Yes, that had to be the feeling, but why? _Why am I feeling anxiety?_

Another chill ran through my insides. I growled in thought. _Only Near would force me to go outside during a __blizzard. That albino freak is going to be the death of me or make me loose the bit of sanity and control I have left._

Too deep within my own thoughts, I didn't notice how deep the snow was getting ahead of me. My eyes widened as my last step had fallen deeper than I expected. I lost my balance and stumbled forward, falling head first into the snow. Luckily, I caught myself before my face collided with the cold, white powder. I quickly pushed myself up and stuffed my hands into my coat pockets, trying hard to warm them up. _Damn it. At this rate, I'll get frost bite._ Sure it was a bit of a long-shot. I hadn't been out in the cold long enough to receive frostbite, but with my luck, the not likeness would probably shift over to very likely.

Resting one of my hands on the trunk of tree, I had finally made my way into the forest. I turned my head to glance behind me. _Wonderful...._I thought sarcastically. I couldn't make out where the orphanage was. _It's going to be a pain to get back...._

I stared over at the tree that my hand rested against. I looked around, seeing more trees and blowing snow. I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. Roger had no idea that I bought this with the spending money he gave to me one Saturday when he took a group of orphans to the store. I was able to convince the clerk that Roger said it was all right for me to have the pocket knife. Lucky for me, he was easily fooled.

I flicked open the pocket knife and began to make a large, rough indention in the trunk of the tree. _Hopefully I'll be able to find this tree later._ I knew that my tracks were going to be covered up with more snow later, but hopefully I'd be able to at least find my way back to the field if I marked the trees a bit.

I cautiously walked through the forest, careful to not step into another deep hole or ditch. I continued through the forest, marking a tree every now and then. It slowed me down a bit, but I hoped that it helped me in the long run. I shivered again and silently wished that I had not have left my bedroom. _What was I thinking?_

My thoughts twisted into bitter ones. _I bet Near isn't even out here! I bet that damn albino went back inside a long time ago! He's probably asleep in a warm bed right now while I'm out here in this fucking blizzard!_ With my horrible luck, I was almost sure that Near wasn't even out here to begin , I thought: _he's going to be the death of me._

My eyes widened as my right foot collided with something below. I looked down, seeing a mound of snow in front of my foot. I frowned. _What is that? It's not solid enough to be a rock._ I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the object.

My eyes turned into perfectly round ovals. My heart lurched as I identified the object...or person. Instantly my body grew stiffer. It felt like the wind chill and snow around me grew colder than before. _Near!_

The albino boy lied sprawled out, a blanket of snow beginning to collect on top of him. Near blended with the snow. His white hair, his pale skin, and his white pajamas....If I had not of bumped into him, I wouldn't have found him. I stared down at him. He had taken the liberty of putting shoes on, but I knew that his loose pajamas hardly gave him any warmth.

My body felt numb as I stared down at the white-haired boy. He was lying there so still. If it was possible, the albino looked paler than usual. Even my thoughts grew shaky. _He....He looks so lifeless._ I mean, he always appeared emotionless, but now he just appeared hollow and empty....

My heart sank as I my past thoughts echoed through my head, mocking me. _'I want to see you broken and empty'...._ It was my past thoughts when I had kicked that can across the room. It lied on the ground, bent and empty. Now, Near lied in front of me, looking helpless and frozen.

_I....I thought that I would receive satisfaction from seeing Near helpless, but....Now I'm not so sure._

I knelt down beside Near. His eyes were closed. His snowy locks fell into his pale face. His lips were beginning to turn a light shade of pale blue. His cheeks were beginning to turn the same color. I pressed my fingertips against Near's neck. My initial reaction was to pull back immediately due to the fact that his skin was becoming so cold. I couldn't seem to pick up Near's pulse. I shook my head disbelievingly. _Is he...?_

I leaned forward and turned my head slightly so my ear was close to his face. My body relaxed slightly as I could hear his faint breathing. It sounded shaky. I placed my hand on his shoulder and realized that he was shaking. I then realized that Near was not only alive but that he wasn't even unconscious. It was the slightest reactions, but I could tell he was lightly responding to my touch. I knew he wasn't comfortable with touch since he wasn't even comfortable with emotions it seemed. If Near had been unconscious then he wouldn't have moved slightly. I could see the slight flickering of his eyelids. _He obviously doesn't have enough strength to move or verbally respond._

_I need to hurry and get back to Wammy's House._ I began to unzip and slide my jacket off of my body. As soon as it was off, I shivered roughly once the wind and snow hit my body directly. I slipped my maroon coat onto Near. _He better be damn grateful that I drug myself out here._

Luckily Near wasn't heavy, so I was able to pick him up. Holding him bridal style, I felt him shivering against me. I turned and began to carrying him back through the woods, trying to find my way back to the orphanage. After walking a bit, I began to feel the trees, trying to feel for the indentions that I had made with my pocket knife earlier. I finally found one and was grateful that I had taken the time to do that.

The trembling of Near's body was increasing by the moment. Although I was getting closer to Wammy's Orphanage, Near was growing colder. Actually, I was growing colder now that my coat was off. A part of my mind told me to sit down for awhile and try to warm up, but I knew that if I were to stop at all and sit down in the snow, I wouldn't get back up.

I gratefully thanked the heavens would I could see the field ahead of me. I hurried and entered the snowy plain. I felt heavier now that I was carrying Near. My body screamed at me to rest, but I could not stop. _Don't stop._ I told myself. _Keep going._

I tried my best to avoid any deep holes that could send me stumbling forward like last time. If I were to fall down in the snow, I'd probably crush Near for one thing, and my body might lock up on me and not want to move again. _I made it._ I told myself as I went up the small stairs that led to the back door of the orphanage.

Entering the building, a jolt was sent through my body as the heat hit me. My body shivered from the instant temperature change. Just being inside the orphanage was beginning to warm up my body, but I could still feel Near shaking uncontrollably against me.

I gazed around the hall, hoping that no one would catch Near and I. Due to my reputation with the boy, the teachers would probably find some way to blame me for Near's state. I finally declared to myself that the teachers must have gone off to sleep or take a break from patrolling the halls.

I hurried down the hallway, passing the Common Room, and making my way to the stairs. I paused at the foot of the stairs, listening to make sure there wasn't any teachers nearby. As quickly as I could, I carried Near up the stairs and made it back into my room.

After closing the door behind me, I rested Near down on my bed. I rubbed my hands together and exhaled a hot breath of air into my hands, trying to warm them up. I then rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to continue to warm me up. _Great, I'm going to have to change. The snow has stuck to my shirt and pants._ The snow was starting to melt into water, making my shirt and pants become damp.

I went over to my closet and quickly pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. I grabbed the first long-sleeved shirt I saw and put it on. I quickly did the same thing with my jeans. I went back over to my bedside and frowned.

_He's still not warming up....The warmth of the orphanage doesn't seem to be enough. _I guessed, like my clothing, his pajamas were probably snow covered. My coat was covered with snow, but the material was much thicker than the fabric Near's pajamas. I knew my coat was still giving Near warmth, but I didn't think his pajamas were helping.

My eyes widened as I took note of something. Near was beginning to shiver more violently. _He's in hypothermia._ I realized. I knew this wasn't good at all. Hypothermia could quickly become fatal. _If he doesn't warm up soon, his body is going to go into cardiac arrest._

I grumbled as I took my coat off of him. I unbuttoned Near's shirt and slipped it off of him. I tried my best to be as gentle and careful as possible. Too much movement for Near could help trigger cardiac arrest.

As I had guessed, his pajama shirt was fairly cold and damp. I slipped the coat back on him, seeing that the inside of it was still dry and warm. I went over to his feet and took his shoes and socks off. I quickly walked over to my closet and grabbed a clean pair of socks to cover his shivering feet.

I stared down at his pajama pants, knowing that they were damp too. I grumbled bitterly under my breath. _You've got to be fucking kidding me._ I mentally nodded, agree within my past thoughts: _Life hates me._

Knowing that I wasn't really left with much of a choice, I carefully began to slip his pajama trousers off. I was grateful that he was wearing boxers. I would have guessed that, but nevertheless I was still grateful. I tossed his damp pants over to the floor with the matching shirt. I pulled a blanket over him, trying to get his body to warm up now that his wet clothing was discarded.

_This isn't good. _I noticed that Near's body was still shivering violently. His shivering had not seemed to have slowed in the least bit. I could hear Near let out a shaky gasp as his body jerked roughly at one point.

I stared down at the white-haired boy. I let out a deep breath, knowing what I was going to have to do. I didn't want to do this—I _really_ didn't want to do this—but I knew it meant life or death to Near if I did not get him warmed up soon. Near need to get warmth and the best solution to solve that problem at the moment was body heat....I grumbled bitterly under my breath, cursing my luck as I slipped my shirt off of me. I tossed the shirt onto my bed on the other side of Near.

I kicked my shoes and damp socks off before I climbed onto my bed. I got onto my knees, my legs straddling Near's waist. I began to unzip the maroon coat, but left it on his body. I moved my arms inside the coat and leaned forward, resting my bare chest against his. I shivered at the sudden cold contact. _He's colder than I thought._

I pressed down a bit but not to the point to where I was crushing him underneath me. I could feel my heart beating heavily in my chest. _Near better be fucking grateful that I'm saving his life._

The shaking of Near beneath me send shivers through my body. Near...trembling beneath me. I seemed to be satisfied that Near under me. I liked having this kind of dominance, this kind of authority over him. My face began to heat up at that thought. I had not meant for that thought to sound so twisted. _Matt's perverted mind must have rubbed off on me...._

I shakily moved my head forward and rested my cheek against Near's. The cold contact sent another jolt through my body. I could hear Near's weak breathing become more steady. I also took note that his body had shifted from violent jerks to light shivers. _Looks like Near is starting to warm up._

Growing tired and—even though I don't want to admit it—comfortable, my blue eyes slipped close. The quiet sound of Near's breath made my mind slowly drift off. I would probably wake up in shock later from being over top of my enemy. No....Enemy? Could I possible call Near an enemy? Would I have gone through all this trouble for an enemy?

I suddenly felt Near's cheeks warm up more heatedly. A small, faint word escaped Near's lips, "Mello...?"

My body froze. My heart skipped a beat and then began to beat more quickly. _He's regained consciousness!_

I moved my head up slightly, moving my cheek off of his. Our eyes locked. Blue met gray. My burning blue eyes locking with his silvery-gray pools. Blue fire eyes meeting the silvery, wind currents of a blizzard. Time froze for about a good five seconds. Either that or I had stopped breathing at that moment.

My voice escaped me. I could not find any words to explain myself or anything. I stared down at the albino. From being this close, I watched as Near lightly flushed and turned his head slightly to the side. Seeing Near showing human emotions was new to me. I couldn't help but stare at his cheeks that had turned faint pinkish tint. The sudden urge to want to see more reactions from the albino began to bubble up inside of me. Catching my own thoughts, I shook my head slightly. _I'm loosing my head...._

Abruptly, I snapped, "What the _hell_ were you thinking?! Did you even think of what could happen to you out there?!" My eyes burned into Near like wildfire. _He nearly gets himself killed, and I was forced to have to be this close to him! I should _never_ have to be this close to him!_

Probably against his will, the light blush on Near's cheeks remained on his face as he spoke. Although within this situation, Near's voice was calm and quiet. "Yes...I thought about it."

His calmness of his knowing voice began to spark an angry flame inside of me. "The hell?! Didn't you think the storm was going to pick up?!"

Near glanced up at me and then looked away again. He still seemed to be uncomfortable with the close contact. Something different flickered inside of me. There was something about the way that Near looked that made me want to get closer to him....Test him maybe? I wasn't sure of the reasonings why I would ever want to get close to the albino.

Near answered slowly. He still seemed to be a bit worn out from his body temperature being so low. "There was a fifty percent chance it would pick up..."

My eyes widened slightly. _Fifty percent? That's half. Why would Near go out into the snow with the chances of the storm picking up being so high? What provoked him?_

"And you still went out into the snow with the chances being so high? You realize that you could have _died!_" I lowered my voice, not wanting to alert anyone that he was in my room with me. I didn't want the other orphans or teachers realizing that. Being in this situation was torturous enough.

"I did not die." Near reminded me. My eyes narrowed at Near's knowing attitude.

"Only because Linda forced me to go out in a blizzard to look for you." I growled angrily.

Near gazed up at me again, trying to hold his gaze with mine for a moment. "...There was a seventy percent chance that you would come to get me out of the snow."

Irritation rippled through my mind as frustration ran through my body. _No! I went out in the snow because _I_ chose to, not because Near predicted it!_ My eyes burned into him but Near didn't look away this time. He stared up at me blankly, seeming to search my eyes.

I _was the one with dominance here, not Near! Fire controlled snow, not the other way around. Fire melts snow._ My eyes widened suddenly as I realized a fact that I had skimmed over. _No....If fire melts snow, the snow will turn into water....Water douses fire. If fire harms the snow, it'll result in the cease of fire's own existence._ My eyes narrowed again. _Damn it._

"What about the other thirty percent?" I asked him bitterly.

Near blinked and reminded me quietly, "I'm here, aren't I...?"

I snapped. "You think you can just control me like I'm some puppet, don't you, Near?!" I snarled. "You hate me, don't you? Just because you've beaten me in every test so far, you think you can control my every movement. Well, you can't Near! You're not the one in control!"

Out of anger, I pushed myself more roughly against Near, pressing the albino farther into the bed. Near flinched. He let out a faint gasp as I landed roughly on his ribcage. Near looked away from me and told me quietly, his voice still a bit weak, "You are the only one who thinks that, Mello."

He moved one of his hands forward. For a moment, I wondered if he was going to attempt to push me off of him. It would be a vain attempt considering that he was much weaker than I was. Instead, he opened his right hand, exposing his palm and....

I felt the tension in my body instantly leave me. My blue eyes widened in shock. _That's...That's...._In the palm of Near's hand was my black cross necklace that was held together by a maroon-colored cord. It still seemed to be in tact and from the looks of it, it looked like it had been out in the snow.

Suddenly I remember back to the fight I had with a new kid. I didn't take much note of it, but I felt like I was choking at one point. That feeling must have stopped because the boy must have ripped it off of my neck. Matt's words also echoed through my mind. _'It's just that you look different today, Mello...'._ I always wore my cross necklace. I wasn't really Catholic. I actually don't think about religion much, but my lost, older sister had given me that necklace. I've never taken it off.

"I saw Jude throw it into the forest...."

I stared down at Near in disbelief. "You....You went out in the snow to get _this?_" I asked him weakly, still stunned. "Why?"

Near looked away from me, turning his head back over to the side. He was silent for a long moment. The quietness of the room unnerved me. My curiosity was biting away at my insides. I repeated my question, this time more firmly, "Why did you go out in the snow to get this?"

Near was quiet for a bit longer. His gray eyes continued to avoid me. He broke the silence in a quiet whisper. "Your assumptions are incorrect Mello..." Near's gray eyes rolled over to me. Our eyes met once more. "...I do not hate you."

I could hear my heart in my chest beat heavily again. To say the least, I was confused. My mind was cluttered with several different thoughts. _Near....Of course, only you can make me loose my head._ Instead of becoming bitter like my usual reactions, this time a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Not a smirk, a smile, an actual smile.

"Near...."

We lied there in silence for a long moment. Neither of us moved or broke eye contact. Near seemed too curious as to how I was going to react to break the eye contact, and I was too intrigued to tear my eyes away. I could feel it. Something had shifted inside of me. A warm feeling spread through my body, but I knew that it wasn't anger or irritation.

I felt obliged to thank the white-haired boy, but I couldn't seem to. I couldn't seem to bring down my wall of pride down long enough to say those two simple words of thanks.

My eyes rolled over Near's facial features, examining them closely. I watched as Near turned his head, breaking away from the eye contact once again. The light sound of Near's breathing was tugging roughly at my mind and body. What was this new feeling? I mentally smirked. _Maybe Near's finally made me go insane._

I began to lean forward, bringing myself closer and closer to Near. Near turned his head slightly after seeing my movements out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened slightly after processing what I was going to do. Even if he knew what I was going to do, I did not have a clue in the world. As always, I was being ran by my emotions; I was acting on impulse again.

My lips brushed gently against Near's. Even the slight contact sent jolts through my body. I liked that feeling. I could feel Near's face begin to heat up. I noticed that my own face was beginning to warm up, along with the rest of my body.

I was a bit shocked that Near didn't pull away from the light kiss. Was he too shocked to move? I kissed him again, this time with more pressure. I was surprised that Near kissed me back. I was glad that he did. After a few moments, Near broke from the kiss. "Mello--."

I silenced him by pressing my lips against his again. I murmured into the kiss, "Shut up, Near."

I didn't really understand where I was going with this. I was not quite sure what my initial intentions were, and I didn't really care at the moment.

So in the end, fire could not melt snow without facing consequences. Fire could not melt snow, for the water would douse the flames. I could not harm Near without resulting in my own loss of existence or sanity. Near had trapped me. I realized now that I was going to be forever trapped in snow, and I also came realize that...I was perfectly okay with that.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry but no lemon in this story. Maybe I'll put a Mello+Near lemon in another story. Please read and review! I love hearing from everyone! =D


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